Donald Trump has named 10th Circuit Appeals Judge Neil Gorsuch to replace the late Antonin Scalia on the Supreme Court.

This is an excellent choice.

Gorsuch played an influential rule in getting the Hobby Lobby case to the Supreme Court and also sided with the Little Sisters of the Poor, nuns who fought to stop the Obama administration from forcing them to pay for contraception services.

Gorsuch strongly supports the Second Amendment and considers the Heller case to be settled law that must now be expanded.

He is a strict constructionist, meaning that he focuses what the Founders meant when they put the words to parchment. This is the opposite of what liberals argue: that the Constitution is a living and breathing document.

All around, Gorsuch is the perfect choice. When he was confirmed to the 10th Circuit Court nearly a decade ago, he passed through the Senate unanimously. Not one Democrat stood against him.

Last night, protesters gathered in front of the Supreme Court to protest Trump’s pick. Their signs left a spot blank for the name of Trump’s nominee. When Gorsuch was announced, the protesters passed around markers and wrote Gorsuch’s name on their signage.

This is what we’re up against. Liberals came up with their talking points before Gorsuch was even announced. They are just being obstructionists and it is time to steamroll them.

Our message to Congress is twofold: Confirm Gorsuch under the current Senate rules. If the Democrats still resist, use the nuclear option and destroy the filibuster for nominees.

In 2013, Harry Reid used this same rule change to help then-President Obama bypass Congressional Republicans and push through court nominees to pack the country’s Appeals Courts. So the precedent is there.

Today, Judge Gorsuch and Vice President Pence are making the rounds on Capitol Hill today. Many Democrats have reportedly said that they are not even interested in meeting with him.

Isn’t that pathetic?

It is one thing to resist confirming a lame-duck President’s nominee in the middle of a Presidential campaign. It is an entirely different matter for Democrats to block an appointment after the election.

I think it is possible to get Gorsuch through with the current 60-vote threshold. There are eight Democrat Senators up for re-election in states that Donald Trump won. If those eight vote to confirm Gorsuch, that would be exactly the 60 votes he needs.

These vulnerable Democrats are being pulled by the hard left wing of their party. But the wall is already starting to buckle. Democrat Senator Manchin of West Virginia is already urging his colleagues to give Gorsuch a chance.